鋼鐵産業是象徵國家經濟情況的重要基礎産業，也是代表社會發展程度、經濟實力的重要標誌。因此鋼鐵產業常被認為是具有代表國力強弱的指標性意義，不論是先進國家或發展中國家，皆長期的、積極的振興鋼鐵產業。 現今臺灣的鋼鐵業者在面對上、下游皆瘦而中游獨大的特殊產業環境之下，許多企業為了達到產業規模經濟與拓展銷售市場，紛紛前往海外另闢戰場。傳統的國際化理論認為國際化過程的演變是大型企業為了因應產品生命週期的演進而選擇在海外市場發揮其資源優勢的行為，然而從網絡連結觀點我們可以把國際化看成是企業試圖和國外網絡連結建立關係的作為。通常非大型企業並不具備獨自建立國外相關網絡的資源深度，然而透過網絡關係的合作卻可以快速取得當地市場知識並藉由現有通路進入國際市場。這對於具有高進入障礙、高度資本密集、高度技術密集且企業難以獨自擁有足夠生產資源等特性的鋼鐵產業而言，網絡關係連結相當重要。 在這個全球化的時代，大多數企業遲早都會在國際上競爭。因此，專注於國內市場交易的在地企業會被迫具有國際競爭力並參與國際商業活動。所有管理國內企業或跨國集團的經理人都必須意識到這個潮流的影響力。全球化經濟現在已經充斥在世界的各個角落，而且國際化現在所影響的不僅是大型企業集團連許多的非大型企業也是。本次研究針對鋼鐵產業使用多點個案研究法，調查網絡連結對企業國際化進程的影響。來自六家鋼鐵業者的研究證據顯示可以印證在企業的國際化過程中，網絡連結會觸發並驅動企業的國際化、影響企業的海外市場選擇決策與進入模式決策、幫助企業獲得起始信用、接近新網絡關係與現成通路、也協助降低成本與風險，並且影響企業的國際化步調。 / The iron-and-steel industry is an important basic industry to symbolize national economics, and a main indicator which represents social development level and economics power. Because the iron-and-steel industry is usually considered as an index of national strength, no wander many developed and developing nations all have prospering iron-and-steel industries. Now iron-and-steel firms in Taiwan are facing a unique industrial environment, and many are expanding new overseas markets to exploit economies of scale. Traditional internationalization theory posited that the internationalization process is a behavior of giant enterprises to adapt to the product life cycle evolvement and exploit the resource advantage abroad. However, we can view internationalization as a behavior of SMEs to establish relationships with foreign networks from the network perspective. Usually small firms can’t afford enough resources to build up international networks by themselves, but by only cooperating through network connections they can obtain foreign market knowledge soon and penetrate international markets via existing channels. The iron-and-steel industry has high entry barriers, high capital requirement and technology intensity, for SMEs difficult to have all kinds of production resources, the network relationship connections are quite crucial to succeed in international markets. In this era of globalization, most firms will sooner or later have to compete in the international market. Therefore, local firms that focus their business on the domestic market are forced to be internationally competitive and to participate in international business. All managers must be aware of this trend when managing a domestic firm or a multinational conglomerate. The global economy now has reached every corner of the world, and internationalization now involves not just the giant corporations but also many SME enterprises. This research use case research method to examine the influence of network connections on the internationalization process of SME iron-and-steel firms in Taiwan. The evidence from the cases of six iron-and-steel firms shows that the firms’ internationalization process was triggered and motivated by network connections which also affected their foreign market-selection decisions and mode-of-entry decisions, helped them obtain initial credibility and access to other relationships and established channels, helped in lowering cost and risk, and influenced their internationalization pace.

Syftet med denna uppsats ämnar att beskriva svenska modeföretags internationaliseringsprocess. Därför ska vi undersöka och analysera nätverkets betydelse, barriärers påverkan, val av etableringsstrategier och varumärkesbyggnad vid internationalisering. För att uppnå syftet med vår studie har nedanstående huvudproblem formulerats:   Hur går svenska modeföretag tillväga vid etablering och varumärkesbyggnad på den internationella marknaden?   Uppsatsens teoretiska utgångspunkt innefattar svenska modeföretags etablering på den internationella marknaden vilket berör internationaliseringsprocessen, nätverksperspektiv, barriärer, etableringsstrategier samt varumärkesbyggnad. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en deduktiv ansats där fyra fallstudier har tillämpats. I empirin redogörs en jämförelse mellan fallföretagen, vilket leder fram till analysen där empirin ställs mot teorin. Uppsatsens slutsats visar att svenska modeföretags internationaliseringsprocess innebär att företag ställs inför olika utmaningar som val av marknad och att hitta samarbetspartners. Företag väljer etableringsstrategi för företagens verksamhet och bygger upp varumärket på den internationella marknaden. Avslutningsvis presenterar vi det gap vi funnit i teorin, teoretiska bidrag, praktiska rekommendationer samt framhäver förslag till vidare forskning. / The purpose of this paper is to describe the internationalization process of Swedish fashion companies’. Therefore, the network's importance, the barriers impact, choice of market entry mode and brand building in the internationalization will be examined and analyzed. In order to achieve the purpose of our study the following main question were formulated:   How do Swedish fashion companies’ proceed with expansion and brand building in the international market?   The theoretical base of the thesis includes Swedish fashion companies’ establishment in the international market which affects the internationalization process, the network perspective, barriers, market entry mode and brand building. The study is based on a qualitative research method with a deductive approach where four case studies have been applied. In the empirical data a comparison is presented between the four case studies, followed by analysis where the empirical data is compared against the theory. The study’s conclusion implies that Swedish fashion companies’ internationalization process implies that companies’ face different challenges such as the choice of market and finding partners and the choice of market entry mode for the business and brand building on the international market. Finally, we present the gap we found in the theory, theoretical contribution, practical recommendations and highlights suggestions for further research.

Background The growth of global e-commerce along with technology and information adoption has driven the international expansions of retail firms. Even though e-commerce companies (ECCs) are changing the way businesses operate and generally have fewer physical barriers to new markets, they still face numerous challenges while internationalizing. Dynamic capabilities are found to have an impact on the internationalization process of ECCs, where exploitative and explorative dynamic capabilities will be the focus of this study. This topic is particularly relevant for the fashion industry since the industry has the characteristics of being highly dynamic, global and complex. Therefore, this paper will focus on the internationalization process of ECCs in the fashion industry. Purpose Due to limited research regarding the internationalization process of ECCs, the purpose of this study is to seek a deeper understanding concerning the internationalization process of fashion ECCs. In particular, in what way exploitative and explorative dynamic capabilities affect the internationalization process of fashion ECCs and how they use these capabilities. Method This is a qualitative study with an abductive research approach. Furthermore, the empirical data was collected from semi-structured in-depth interviews with six international fashion ECCs. Conclusion One main conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that all the ECCs use both exploitative and explorative dynamic capabilities in their internationalization, and hence, ambidexterity is achieved. Moreover, language, logistics and payment method are three major factors used in both activities and could be an explanation for how fashion ECCs use their exploitative and explorative dynamic capabilities when internationalizing.

<p>The internationalization of firms, especially among SMEs, represents big challenges that must be addressed. For this thesis, the internationalization process of the Swedish company Big Image Systems AB is studied. The purpose of the thesis is to generate a theoretical model to satisfactorily describe and explain the internationalization process of Big Image Systems AB. The case study methodology is our research strategy for this qualitative study. Based on theories about SMEs and internationalization, and after exhaustive analysis and selection, we developed an internationalization model for Big Image. The so called Big Image Model considers the dimensions of internationalization developed by Welch and Luostarinen (1998) and the entrepreneurial perspective by Andersson (2001) to satisfactorily describe and explain the important factors involved in the process. We observe that the entrepreneur plays a central role towards internationalization, and that theoretical guidance can make SMEs learn from their own experiences and, as a consequence, progress.</p>

Bakgrund: Dagens samhälle är i förändring, vilket av forskare har kallats att det gått från det moderna till det postmoderna samhället (Löwendahl &amp; Revang, 1998). För företag har denna förändring bland annat inneburit att de måste internationaliseras, det vill säga starta engagemang på utländska marknader, för att överleva. Syfte: Uppsatsen syftar till att ge ett bidrag till nuvarande forskning genom att undersöka huruvida Uppsalaskolans internationaliseringsteori har ett tillfredsställande förklaringsvärde, eller om en uppdatering av denna vore att föredra. Avgränsningar: Vi avgränsar vår studie till att omfatta ett företag inom tillverkningsindustrin eftersom Uppsalaskolan bygger på en studie av tillverkningsföretag och är därmed applicerbar på denna typ av företag. Genomförande: För att kunna undersöka Uppsalaskolans förklaringsvärde, har vi utfört en kvalitativ studie av ett företags internationella engagemang genom att studera dess etablerings- samt internationaliseringsprocess. Resultat: Studiens resultat visar ett visst mönster av engagemang likt en stegvis etableringskedja i enlighet med Uppsalaskolans teori. Det förekommer dock avvikelser i form av att fallföretaget bland annat har snabbat på etableringar genom att inleda engagemangen med högre resursåtagande än vad som hävdas i teorin. Vad beträffar turordningen av val av marknader, har vi inte kunnat se något mönster av en successiv spridning till allt mer psykiskt avlägsna marknader. Beträffande de olika avvikelserna, har vi främst funnit förklaring hos nätverktänkande samt att företaget kan ha samlat på sig en generell kunskap av att vara internationellt aktiv. / Background: Changing conditions in the world market has created not only opportunities but also a stiffer competition in the domestic market. Therefore, international expansion becomes more important for companies to survive. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether the Uppsala internationalization theory is valid or if it needs to be brought up to date. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a company’s internationalization process over time. Findings: The result of our study showed a tendency to develop engagement in foreign markets according to a step-wise establishment chain. However, deviations were seen when eg. using more direct and rapid entry modes than those implied by the Uppsala internationalization model. Our study showed no support for the pattern of entering foreign markets with successively greater psychic distance. The deviations found could though be explained by network theories and the factor of general international experience.

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Summary Title of the thesis: A comparison between an Australian and a Swedish company's internationalization process, within the food sector. Seminar date: 2011-10-12 Course/subject: International marketing, master thesis 15hp Authors: Sanna Ekborg, Paulina Haglund Supervisor: Svante Andersson Keywords: Internationalization process, Swedish and Australian company within the food sector, Gourmet Garden, Örneborgs Delikatesser, market choice,entry modes, reactive/proactive behaviour. Purpose:The purpose of our study is to describean Australian and a Swedish company within the food sector, and analyze which factors affect the differences and similarities in the companies' internationalization processes. Research method: The research is qualitative and the analysis is deductive. Empirical study: Our empirical study is based on two companies, Australian Gourmet garden and swedish Örneborgs Delikatesser. Our empirical data consists of indepth interviews with the CEO, Chief Operating Officer and marketing manager. Theoretical framework: Internationalization in the food industry, the Uppsala model approach, the network approach, international entrepreneurship and internationalization through innovation. Results: Our research has showed that there are differences in the internationalization process between the two companies. Our Australian company has a more proactive approach to internationalization, while our Swedish company has a reactive approach. it may be due to their different export traditions.

<p>Bakgrund: Dagens samhälle är i förändring, vilket av forskare har kallats att det gått från det moderna till det postmoderna samhället (Löwendahl & Revang, 1998). För företag har denna förändring bland annat inneburit att de måste internationaliseras, det vill säga starta engagemang på utländska marknader, för att överleva. </p><p>Syfte: Uppsatsen syftar till att ge ett bidrag till nuvarande forskning genom att undersöka huruvida Uppsalaskolans internationaliseringsteori har ett tillfredsställande förklaringsvärde, eller om en uppdatering av denna vore att föredra.</p><p>Avgränsningar: Vi avgränsar vår studie till att omfatta ett företag inom tillverkningsindustrin eftersom Uppsalaskolan bygger på en studie av tillverkningsföretag och är därmed applicerbar på denna typ av företag.</p><p>Genomförande: För att kunna undersöka Uppsalaskolans förklaringsvärde, har vi utfört en kvalitativ studie av ett företags internationella engagemang genom att studera dess etablerings- samt internationaliseringsprocess. </p><p>Resultat: Studiens resultat visar ett visst mönster av engagemang likt en stegvis etableringskedja i enlighet med Uppsalaskolans teori. Det förekommer dock avvikelser i form av att fallföretaget bland annat har snabbat på etableringar genom att inleda engagemangen med högre resursåtagande än vad som hävdas i teorin. Vad beträffar turordningen av val av marknader, har vi inte kunnat se något mönster av en successiv spridning till allt mer psykiskt avlägsna marknader. Beträffande de olika avvikelserna, har vi främst funnit förklaring hos nätverktänkande samt att företaget kan ha samlat på sig en generell kunskap av att vara internationellt aktiv.</p> / <p>Background: Changing conditions in the world market has created not only opportunities but also a stiffer competition in the domestic market. Therefore, international expansion becomes more important for companies to survive. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate whether the Uppsala internationalization theory is valid or if it needs to be brought up to date. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a company’s internationalization process over time. Findings: The result of our study showed a tendency to develop engagement in foreign markets according to a step-wise establishment chain. However, deviations were seen when eg. using more direct and rapid entry modes than those implied by the Uppsala internationalization model. Our study showed no support for the pattern of entering foreign markets with successively greater psychic distance. The deviations found could though be explained by network theories and the factor of general international experience.</p>

The internationalization of firms, especially among SMEs, represents big challenges that must be addressed. For this thesis, the internationalization process of the Swedish company Big Image Systems AB is studied. The purpose of the thesis is to generate a theoretical model to satisfactorily describe and explain the internationalization process of Big Image Systems AB. The case study methodology is our research strategy for this qualitative study. Based on theories about SMEs and internationalization, and after exhaustive analysis and selection, we developed an internationalization model for Big Image. The so called Big Image Model considers the dimensions of internationalization developed by Welch and Luostarinen (1998) and the entrepreneurial perspective by Andersson (2001) to satisfactorily describe and explain the important factors involved in the process. We observe that the entrepreneur plays a central role towards internationalization, and that theoretical guidance can make SMEs learn from their own experiences and, as a consequence, progress.

This thesis examines the internationalization of Finnish contemporary artists. The focus is on their exhibitions at contemporary art institutions in Sweden, covering the period 2004–2013. The aim is to investigate what makes these exhibitions to materialize. The main question is: How do different actors, networks, collaborations, and the field of artistic production look like when art is exported for exhibition purposes from Finland to Sweden? Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory and the Uppsala internationalization process model are used as the theoretical framework. Information is collected via interviews with three Finnish artists and three Swedish curators. The main result is that the artists do not actively impact the internationalization process themselves. Rather, the internationalization occurs through an international network of professionals, some acting on behalf of the artists, and some acting in their own interests. The main driving factor for internationalization is that the Finnish art market is small. Consequently, young contemporary artists are oriented internationally. For internationalization to occur, the artists must be available to foreign curators through the international networks. Finland is aware of this and promotes international art contacts through the foundation Frame Visual Art Finland. Important contact surfaces, where curators can learn about the artists, are art events, like European art biennials.